While debates in Germany during the election season revolve around migration, deportations, and socio-economic crises, Europe\u2019s security order remains as fragile as ever. The radical disengagement of the U.S. administration from the transatlantic partnership intensifies the urgency for action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now entering its fourth year, continues to be a direct assault on the principles of territorial integrity and self-determination in Europe and worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our security and stability in Europe rest on the inviolability of internationally recognized borders. Defending the principle of national and societal self-determination is not only an existential matter for Ukraine\u2014it is in the fundamental interest of all those committed to the rule of law in Germany and across Europe<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ukraine is not only fighting for its own freedom; it is fighting for a world in which the law and the protection of individuals outweigh the brute force of the powerful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Germany’s role in this conflict is significant. As a key actor within the European Union, we bear a special responsibility. It remains imperative to ensure that Ukraine is not defenseless against the Russian aggressor\u2014whether on the battlefield or at the negotiating table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The history of Eastern Europe during the Cold War, as well as the present realities in Russia, Belarus, and Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine and beyond, make it abundantly clear: a life under Pax Russica <\/em>means political repression, societal suppression, mass atrocities, and economic decline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With Donald Trump\u2019s return to the White House, a Russia advancing further into Ukraine\u2014at least indirectly supported by an expansionist Chinese dictatorship\u2014the rise of populist parties in Europe, and the mounting pressure of the climate crisis, 2025 begins with immense challenges that we, as civil society, must confront head-on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now is the time to shape the present and future we want to live in, in Germany and in Europe. We must not allow authoritarian forces to threaten our values and freedoms\u2014let us defend them, loudly and actively! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Germany must decisively expand its military, humanitarian, and economic support for Ukraine\u2014because Europe, including its largest economies, must take greater responsibility for its own security and the security of our continent. This is about democratic leadership: we call for Germany to continue and strengthen its support for Ukraine, even in times of tight budgets and challenging coalition negotiations after the federal elections. Short-term political calculations must not overshadow our long-term responsibility for peace and stability in Europe\u2014and for Germany itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Supporting Ukraine is a decision about what kind of Germany and what kind of Europe we will live in during the second half of the 2020s. How do we respond to the uncertainty caused by the decline of the U.S. security guarantee, especially in the shadow of Moscow\u2019s neo-imperialism? How do we actively shape our role in ensuring a self-determined, free, and sovereign Europe? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Our answer to these questions is being determined here and now\u2014by our commitment to Ukraine. Let us ensure that Ukraine withstands Russia\u2019s aggression. Let us ensure that Europe\u2019s future is not dictated by autocrats but built on democracy and freedom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udce2 Join us on February 24 at 7 PM at the Brandenburg Gate for Vitsche\u2019s demonstration! Right after Germany\u2019s national elections, let\u2019s send a strong, united message for democracy and freedom.Your presence matters\u2014the more we are, the louder our voice! \u270a\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9b<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" While debates in Germany during the election season revolve around migration, deportations, and socio-economic crises, Europe\u2019s security order remains as fragile as ever. The radical disengagement of the U.S. administration from the transatlantic partnership intensifies the urgency for action.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":9100,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72,78,1,300],"tags":[],"years":[327],"countries":[47],"topics":[107,111],"ppma_author":[321,320],"class_list":["post-9103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-igor-mitchnik","category-jacob-riemer","category-news-en","category-newsletter","years-327","countries-ukraine-en","topics-conflict-mitigation","topics-history-and-identity"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-22 06:27:33","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"authors":[{"term_id":321,"user_id":6,"is_guest":0,"slug":"igormitchnik","display_name":"Igor Mitchnik","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Portrait_Igor-Mitchnik_quadrat.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Portrait_Igor-Mitchnik_quadrat.jpg"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":"","9":"","10":"","11":"","12":""},{"term_id":320,"user_id":7,"is_guest":0,"slug":"jacobriemer","display_name":"Jacob Riemer","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Portrait_Jacob-Riemer_quadrat.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Portrait_Jacob-Riemer_quadrat.jpg"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":"","9":"","10":"","11":"","12":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9103"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9103\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9104,"href":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9103\/revisions\/9104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9103"},{"taxonomy":"years","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/years?post=9103"},{"taxonomy":"countries","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/countries?post=9103"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=9103"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austausch.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=9103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}